Hired
by Doctor poo and the TURDIS
Summary: On the Citadel, just before activating the Crucible, Commander Shepard is met with an... interesting choice, from an inhuman being. A oneshot.


Commander Shepard looked at the three choices presented to him. This... intelligence calling itself the Catalyst had explained that in order to stop the Reapers' harvest, he had to pick from turning everyone into a synthetic-organic hybrid, taking control of the Reapers, or destroying the Reapers along with every bit of advanced technology in the galaxy. He wasn't too crazy about taking control, 'cause it was a quite real possibility that once he did, he'd be indoctrinated and want to start the harvest. Destroying them was also out of the question, as he _really_ didn't want to throw the civilizations of the galaxy back to the dark age. And synthesis... well, he wasn't too sure that everyone _wouldn't_ be turned to glorified husks.

But these were the options presented to him. And he had to choose.

"It seemssss you are at quite the im _passe..._ aren't you?" An eerie, inhuman voice called to the Commander. Looking around for the source of the voice, Shepard could not find it, but it seemed to come from everywhere at once. Then, a shape began to appear in front of the beam of energy the Crucible had created.

A man, to be precise.

The man walked up to Shepard. The man's movements were stiff and awkward, as if he was unused to his own body. The man wore a blue suit, and a tie, right out of the twentieth century. In all honesty, he looked like a stereotypical G-Man _._ The man stopped in front of Shepard, and looked over him, almost like cat sizing up a mouse before striking. "Commander Shepard in the flessh. Scarred and burnt flesh, but you _are_ here none-the-less." The man's way of speaking was odd. He placed emphasis on every syllable but the correct ones, and his S's were drawn out like the hissing of the snake. "And after all that hasss happ _ened,_ well... I am quite im _pre_ ssed."

"Who are you?" Shepard found himself asking. _"What_ are you?" This... thing in front of him wasn't human. That much was easily apparent.

"You..." He paused, taking a sharp breath in."Needn't _con_ cern yourself with my identity. I am simply a party... in _ter_ ested in your successsss. You've... managed to accomplish a great deal in a small time _span._ More so than _an_ yone else in this galaxy. You've... dis _play_ ed a resourcefulness which I have rarely seen among members of your speciesss. Among _an_ y species, in fact. It quite reminds me of myself. But, back on to _p_ ic, your determination and resourcefulnesss has enabled your galaxy to finally be free of the on _slau_ ght of the Reapers. Today isss the begin _nin_ g of a new age. But today is also the _end_ of another."

"What are you talking about?" Shepard wondered.

"I am talking about you, Missster Shepard." The man replied. "Ifff you choose one of the options thisss... Catalyst has presented, your life will end."

"I already know that." Shepard responded. "But it's going to bring peace to the galaxy at least.""

The man chuckled slightly, almost imperceptible. "Hm. What you do _not_ know iss that the peace will not last. Each of these... _choicesss_ is deliberately engineered to cause civilization to collapse shortly after it has been made. No _mat_ ter which one, your choice will cause the de _struct_ ion of everything you hold dear, and your sacrifice will be meaninglesss."

"No..." Shepard shook his head in denial. "That... That can't be right."

"It isss the truth, Misster Shepard. Thisss... C _ruc_ ible will do nothing more than cause more harm upon itsss activation."

"All that work..." Shepard stared blankly at no particular thing. "For nothing?"

"It iss quite a... depresssing discovery. After all your sacrifices, to find out that your lassst hope was a trap? That iss why I have come here. Your... unique skill _set_ has attracted the attention of my... employers, and they have sent me to extend an offer to you."

"What kind of offer?" Shepard inquired.

"The only one that matters in thisss day-and-age." The man straightened his tie, and a green orb of energy appeared next to him. "My employers have also _au_ thorized me to deal with the problem posed by thisss little... trap. If you ac _cept_ the offer, I will take the liberty of dealing with the Reapers for you."

"And if I don't?" Shepard asked.

"Well... I can offer you a _bat_ tle you have no chance of win _ning._ Rather an anti-climaxxx, given what you've jusst survived. Just step _in_ to the portal, and I will take that as a yesss. Time to chooose..."

Shepard stared at the portal. The green glow it gave off permeated the large area where he and the man were standing. It didn't appear to be harmful, and Shepard gave it some serious thought.

Shepard took a deep breath in, and stepped into the portal. Once he was inside, he disappeared, with a bright flash of green light.

 _"Excellent choice, Mister Shepard._ " The man's voice echoed. _"I will see you up ahead."_

SUBJECT: SHEPARD

STATUS: HIRED

AWAITING ASSIGNMENT...


End file.
